Willis Smith Gallery is pleased to present Egypt – The Eternal Spirit of Its People, an­ exhibition of 62 classic black and white photographs taken in the 1950s by Jack Jonathan.

Jack Jonathan was born in Cairo in 1921. He received a classical education at the Royal Italian Lyceum in Cairo and overcame a leg disability in his youth to become a champion runner. While working at the American Embassy in Cairo, he purchased a Voigtlander camera and fell under the influence of visiting Life Magazine photographer David Douglas Duncan.

Jonathan remained in Egypt until the revolution of 1952 when he decided to relocate to the United States. His resulting Scenes ofEgypt exhibition allowed him to reconnect with the people and experiences of his childhood in and around Cairo.

Jonathan’s photographs of everyday Egyptian life were a great success in Cairo, but finding a job as a photographer in the United States proved difficult. After a year in Cleveland, he was offered a position with Hallmark Cards and settled with his wife Rena and their infant son in Kansas City, embarking on a highly successful publishing career.

Jonathan’s retrospective at the Ringling College of Art and Design features high contrast black and white images of mid-century Egypt, intertwining vibrant street portraits with architectural landscapes accentuated by the dramatic desert light. His approach is rooted in personal experience and displays an undying affection for the people he grew up with.

The exhibition is being hosted at the Ringling College of Art and Design with the support of Carlo Marchetti and Flora Major.